


A Slower Initiative

by Awesome_Sauce432



Category: A Crown of Candy - Fandom, Dimension 20 (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Assassination attempts, Basically Liam's Initiative Is After The Assassins So He Gets Rope Trick Off Immediately, Canon Divergence, Episode 9 But One Thing Changes, Episode 9 spoilers, Everyone lives, Except The Cake, Fix-It, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Jet!Lives, Sieges, The Cake Gets Brutally Murdered, The other characters show up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:20:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24742216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Awesome_Sauce432/pseuds/Awesome_Sauce432
Summary: In the attic, Liam's just a little slower, just misses the opportunity to get a first strike against the unknown enemies he can see in front of him. In the grand scheme of things, perhaps this turns out to be a blessing.(End of Episode 9 Canon Divergence)
Relationships: Jet Rocks & Ruby Rocks, Liam Wilhelmina Jawbreaker & Jet Rocks, Liam Wilhelmina Jawbreaker & Ruby Rocks
Comments: 6
Kudos: 53





	A Slower Initiative

Liam acted quickly, but the assassins were quicker. In the time it took for him to even reach for his crossbow they had darted forward, prepared, _waiting._ For them? For Caramelinda? It didn’t matter, because Liam and the princesses were the ones that were there and Liam suddenly realised he was all but invisible to these people when they didn’t even look his way, tiny slivers of moonlight reflecting off the water dripping from the daggers that were headed straight for Jet and Ruby. 

Flickorice flashed in the darkness, piercing something but it wasn’t enough, and Liam could see in painstaking clarity as one of the daggers hit Ruby, then two struck Jet, both of them buckling to their knees with cries of pain.

Ruby staggered and caught herself, blood blooming on her doublet, Jet did not. 

Any thought of attacking these people fled Liam’s mind in an instant, they needed to get _out_ of here. Eyes wide and fingers fumbling, he cast Rope Trick, reaching out for Jet, catching her arm as she fell to the floor, completely doubled over in pain.

“Ruby!” He called out, uncaring if the assassins knew he was there or not because if they could get up into the Rope Trick they’d be safe, they’d be safe. He saw Ruby’s head swivel towards his voice, her eyes welling up with tears, one hand linked around her sister’s wrist. 

“What?” Ciabatta. That voice was Ciabatta. What was Ciabatta doing here? 

The assassins were undoubtedly surprised to hear a third voice in the fray, looking around frantically for someone they could not see, and Liam stole the opportunity, pulling Jet into his arms and dragging her up the rope, Ruby following behind him. In those precious few moments of confusion, they popped through the doorway, landing in an empty void of a pocket dimension.

It was silent, it was dim, but it was safe. 

“Jet! Jet!” Ruby’s voice was broken from both pain and anguish, pulling her sister from Liam’s arms and cradling her in hers instead. “Jet-” 

Jet’s eyes were squeezed shut, her breath coming in short and shallow, curling in on herself around the jagged stab wounds in her torso. Ruby’s half of their matching lockets around her neck was flickering, and Liam scrambled over to her side. 

“Ruby-” Jet managed through gritted teeth and hissed breaths, her eyes still closed. “We- gotta go-”

“It’s okay, we’ll be safe in here,” Liam reassured them. “They won’t be able to find us.” 

Ruby gave Liam only a cursory look before turning her full attention back to her sister, squeezing one hand and pressing the other over one of Jet’s injuries. “C’mon Jet, you’re gonna be okay-” 

The locket flickered again, and every time it began to dim Liam saw Ruby suck in a breath. He leaned over Jet, trying to recall every ounce of medical knowledge he’d ever heard in his life, but this was beyond him. Jet’s entire stomach was soaked with blood, the daggers dissolved into her body and causing who knew what damage. 

If they were lucky, the water would burn itself on its own. If it didn’t- 

Grimacing, Liam dug through his pockets and bags until he found some spare cloth, ripping it up into a makeshift bandage and wrapping it around Jet’s stomach as best as he could. They were soaked through almost instantly, but it felt better than doing nothing. 

Jet had completely slipped into unconsciousness, breathing shallowly, but still breathing. Ruby cradled her in her arms, hunched forwards, and whispering in Jet’s ears, begging her to hold on. Ruby was badly hurt as well, Liam knew. Could see it in the paleness of her skin and the way her hands were trembling from more than just fear. 

“Ruby-” Liam began, but she didn’t look up, hadn’t even seemed to hear him. 

The locket flickered again. Liam stared at it, transfixed. Jet’s locket was still glowing steadily, not as bright as usual but steady, but Ruby’s was still blinking, never going completely dark, but dimming and brightening in an unsteady rhythm, as if in time with Jet’s heartbeats.

He watched, almost certain that eventually, it would go dark and never brighten again, but it didn’t. He counted the seconds before it would light up, one, two three- one, two- one, two, three, four- 

Seconds passed, and Jet kept breathing. The pool of blood beneath them stopped growing. The flickering of the locket evened out until it was finally just a faint, dull light. Still alive. But only barely. 

Liam snapped out of his stupor, all too aware that they were still in far too much danger. 

“We need to get her to the castle.” He said, putting a clumsy hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “You, too, really.” 

Ruby glanced up at him, tears running down her cheeks. “How? Jet’s-”

“It’ll be fine! We just sneak past Ciabatta, and if we get to the forest, I’ll be able to find the way back.” Liam said. Oh, he wished one of the adults was here. 

Ruby looked down at her sister again, before nodding, her eyes still shimmering. “Okay. Okay.”

Liam flashed her the most reassuring smile he could manage (which probably wasn’t very reassuring at all) before finding the entrance to the pocket dimension, carefully poking his house out to see if Ciabatta and his minions were still around. Liam couldn’t see any of them, but he could hear movement below the attic, heard Ciabatta’s voice shouting out to ‘ _Find them!’_.

“They’re still in the shop,” Liam reported back, wringing his hands together. There had to be a way out of here. “Are you alright?”

Ruby’s face tightened, still holding onto Jet but looking more like she was only still able to do it as long as she didn’t move another muscle.

“I’m okay.” She said quietly, closing her eyes.

“If-if I carry Jet will you be able to shoot?” He asked. 

“Yeah. I can do that.” 

“Okay.” Liam nodded, his heart pounding in his chest because somehow he had to get both of them to safety. Jet was unconscious and Ruby was one light breeze away from following her, and he was unharmed and they had to get back to the castle and _he_ was the best-suited to make it happen. There was just no other option. 

He peeked out of the pocket dimension again, listening carefully for any sign of Ciabatta and his goons still being on the premises. For thirty seconds, he heard silence. That would have to be enough. 

Liam climbed down out of the Rope Trick first, he and Ruby carefully maneuvering Jet down before Ruby climbed down last. She doubled over a little when she landed, but gritted her teeth, pulling Sourscratch out and readying a flickering green arrow. 

Carrying Jet in his arms as gently as he could, Liam knew that he’d be relying mostly on Ruby if they ran into trouble. He didn’t know Dulcington as well as the twins did, but he knew the forest was close. If they could just make it there… 

“Yak.” Ruby snapped her fingers, the golden bird appearing before them, and Liam breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Can you tell him to fly ahead of us? And tell us if it’s clear?” Liam asked. Ruby nodded, and when she lifted up the trapdoor that led out of the attic, Yak dove down first, a few tense moments passing before Ruby whispered, ‘It’s clear’. 

Liam carefully and slowly climbed his way down the ladder, ears alert for absolutely anything that could mean danger. He heard sounds in the distance, far too muffled for him to make out, and there was dread running up and down his spine. 

Ruby hit the floor with a muffled grunt of pain, leaning on Liam for a moment to catch her bearings.

“Are you alright?” Liam asked.

Ruby nodded shakily. “Let’s go. The next floor is clear.” 

With Yak to guide them, they made it out of the store without seeing so much as a crumb of bread. But as soon as they stepped outside, the dread that Liam had been feeling multiplied a hundredfold. 

Castle Candy was under attack. 

They were too far away to see exactly what was happening, but Liam could see faint wisps of smoke rising from in front of the castle, could hear the distant clangs of metal upon metal. 

“Oh no.” He whispered. If the castle wasn’t safe- where else could they go? 

Next to him, Ruby was almost as pale as a sheet, her eyes wide. “Mom… Dad-”

“I’m sure they’re alright,” Liam said quickly, because if they weren’t he had no idea what they’d do. “They must be defending the castle! We- we just need to get inside.”

“But the bridge- if anyone is attacking the castle that’s the first thing they’ll try to capture,” Ruby said. “It’ll block the way.” 

Liam thought hard for a moment, drawing upon all the times he had ventured outside the castle to explore the forest. Most of the time, he had used the bridge. But once or twice, on a particularly busy day for the castle, he’d found some more discrete ways. 

“I… have an idea.” He said, making sure his hold on Jet was stable. “Once we get to the forest, I’ll know the way.” 

Ruby nodded, throwing one last look in the direction of the castle before they ran off into the streets of Dulcington, towards the forest. Yak was constantly flying ahead, warning them if anyone was coming, and telling them when it was safe to continue. 

Once they were well inside the forest, Liam slowed down, looking behind him to make sure they weren’t followed. 

“Why are we stopping?” Ruby asked, leaning heavily against the closest tree, leaving smudges of blood behind her. “Is Jet alright?” 

“Yeah. She’s okay.” Liam crouched down, taking a deep breath and laying Jet down for a moment. “She’s holding on.”

Ruby knelt down next to her sister, taking her hand and squeezing it tight. “We’re nearly there.”

Liam double-checked Jet’s wounds, making sure they hadn’t opened up again, not that he was sure if there was anything he could do if they had. He tried to be careful when he carried her, because even though Ruby undoubtedly would’ve preferred to do it herself, she was far busier trying to stay on her own two feet to worry about the weight of her sister’s entire life in her arms. 

Jet was still in an uncomfortable unconsciousness, stirring lightly now that she was on the ground, but never truly waking up. Ruby whispered quiet platitudes to her in Twin Speak, and even though Liam had been taught it by the twins themselves it felt like an intrusion to listen in, so he tried to focus on something else. 

Ruby’s wound had stopped fully bleeding a little while ago, but whenever they’d stopped for a moment in their escape she would sway on her feet, and Liam quietly doubted whether her shooting would’ve been accurate if they’d run into someone. 

“Come on, I know a spot where we can go through the river,” Liam said, gathering Jet up in his arms again.

“Through?” 

“Kinda. It’s at the very back of the castle gardens. Trust me.” Liam smiled nervously, and Ruby stood up with him, not letting go of Jet’s hand just yet. 

Now Liam took the lead, Yak dipping up and down through the canopy, Ruby walking alongside him with Sourscratch in one hand and holding Jet’s in the other. It was tricky ground, making their way through the forest, and more than once Ruby nearly tripped.

They could still hear faint sounds of battle, battle that soon dwindled to only occasional volleys of violence. A siege, Liam realised. Which meant eventually they might try to completely surround the castle, forest included. 

Was it wise to try to enter a castle as it was being sieged? Perhaps not. But it was definitely unwise to stay in Dulcington. 

“Here.” Liam half-turned so that he could brush some branches away with his back without disturbing Jet, letting Ruby walk past him onto the river bank. Rather than cliffs that dropped into the Cola River like there were around the front of Castle Candy, here the ground sloped down until there was only a drop of a feet or two into the cola, and peppermint branches and old tree logs drooped over it, almost creating half a bridge to the other side, where a nearly-ancient set of stairs were carved into the steeper rock, leading up to the castle gardens. 

“Oh,” Ruby said quietly. “How do we get across?”

“I’m… not sure,” Liam admitted, looking between Jet and Ruby. “Do you think you’ll be able to swim?” 

Ruby took a long look at the river, which wasn’t exactly raging, but wasn’t placid either. “... I think so. Are you able to carry Jet?” 

Liam nodded solemnly. “Definitely. She’s safe with me.” 

In the end, just to be safe, Ruby ended up using her rope to tie herself and Liam together, breaking off a peppermint branch to help her keep her head above water. It was awkward going, Liam swimming on his back with Jet balanced precariously on his chest, but they made it. By the time Ruby got through, even with Liam helping her the final stretch by pulling the rope, it was clear the journey was taking its toll. Where before she’d at least been making a valiant effort to walk by herself, now she held onto the back of Liam’s shirt with a white-knuckled grip, Yak once again flying ahead to check they weren’t about to run into a horde of enemies. 

“Where should we go now?” Liam asked as they made it to the safety of the castle gardens. 

“Mom,” Ruby said quietly. “The letter was for her- she needs to know.” 

“Right. Let’s go.” They set off again, peeking around corners and, once they made it through the castles, began heading along all the corridors that they knew most people didn’t use, all the back ways that they’d usually use to sneak out of the castle. 

Inside the castle, Liam could hear shouts and cries from every direction. People asking what was going on, someone shouting about soldiers from Muffinfield trying to break down the front gates, talk of Amethar _falling from the sky itself_. But what stuck out in Liam’s mind the most was one cry, someone running through the entire castle sounding the alarm.

“Betrayal! Traitors in the castle! Someone has betrayed the King!” 

“Traitors?” He whimpered. Come on. No. The castle was supposed to be _safe_. Or at least safer than Dulcington! 

“Who would-” Ruby stammered, pushing off of Liam to lean against the castle wall instead, pulling out Sourscratch to get it into some sort of ready position. “Pops is in trouble. He’s in trouble-”

“We’re all in trouble,” Liam whispered. “If a traitor finds us-”

“We’re sitting ducks.” Ruby finished, holding one hand over her wounded stomach with a wince. They were currently standing in the shadows of a corner of a room, and none of the few people that had passed directly by had noticed them yet. “We need to find Mom.” 

“What about Theo or Cumulous?” Liam suggested. “Or your dad? Though- falling from the sky-”

“Mom can protect her,” Ruby said, her voice wavering a little. “She’s gonna be- so mad at us. But she can protect us.” 

“Alright. Let’s go.” Liam said, taking a step towards Ruby. After a moment, she put a hand on his shoulder, and they set off once again. This time they didn’t send Yak flying ahead, figuring he would be far too distracting, and simply tried to creep through the castle, listening carefully for footsteps and shouting, hoping to hear one of the few people they knew they could trust, and avoiding anyone else. 

They made it up two flights of stairs without running into trouble, ducking into an empty room to avoid people coming too close to comfort, slowly snaking their way up to the top of the tower where Caramelinda’s chambers were. Even if the Queen wasn’t in the room herself, it would at least be more secure than the lower areas, and Ruby claimed to know places they could hide inside.

“Hang on a second.” Ruby wheezed after they’d climbed up yet another flight of stairs, holding her stomach. “Ugh-”

“Are you alright?” Liam asked. 

“I just need a moment.” Ruby leaned against the wall, and when she pulled her hand away from her stomach, Liam could see fresh blood.

“Ruby-” 

“It’s- all the moving. How’s Jet?” Ruby said quickly, and Liam frowned at the deflection so obvious even he picked up on it, but took the hint and played along. 

“Still breathing.” To be honest, his arms were starting to feel like lead from carrying her so much. The locket around Ruby’s neck was still glowing steadily, but Liam could’ve sworn it was slightly fainter than it had been before. They needed to hurry. 

“Come on, just hold on to my-” 

_“Caaaaaaramelinda~”_ A voice sang — not spoke, not shouted, but _sang_ — throughout the castle, and Liam stiffened up, Ruby barely suppressing a gasp. It was close. Uncomfortably close. 

“Calroy-?” Ruby whispered after a moment, and Liam saw a flash of hope in her eyes, but he felt nothing but dread. 

“Something’s wrong. We need to hide.” He hissed, looking around frantically, all of a sudden aware of a set of footsteps heading in their direction. His eyes landed on the closest door, and he jogged towards it, Ruby instinctively following him, opening the door so Liam could push it open with his foot, running inside the shoving the door shut again behind him with an unfortunately loud creak. 

“What is he doing?” Ruby whispered, looking fearful again. “He sounds-”

_“Oh Cara! Where are you?”_

“He’s the traitor. He must be-” Liam stopped himself, feeling terror well up inside him, the same terror he’d felt when he’d seen the daggers stab into Jet and Ruby. The feeling of betrayal. 

“He’s going after our Mom. He’s going to attack her-” 

“Shh!” Liam shushed, scanning the room for somewhere to hide. Anywhere. Under the bed? No, way too obvious. Eventually, his eyes fell on a large wardrobe. It would be a squeeze, but hopefully… “In there!” 

Ruby opened the wardrobe door, grabbing some cloaks from inside and laying them out on the floor, giving Liam a thin makeshift mattress to rest Jet on. 

“Well, what do we have here?” Liam and Ruby both froze at the sound of Calroy’s voice, just outside the door. “Blood staining the castle walls… I wonder whose…”

“Get in-” Liam hissed, making sure Jet was completely inside as Ruby climbed in, a sheen of sweat on her forehead. No time, no time, Ruby must’ve left blood on the door handle, she’d leave blood on the wardrobe handle too- 

“Liam-” Ruby began, but without even acknowledging it, Liam shut the wardrobe door, one hand reaching for his crossbow and pulling it out just as the door to the room opened, Calroy Cruller standing on the other side with a curious grin that quickly turned surprised.

“Young Liam…” He began, his face dropping into what Liam might have mistaken as a genuine concern if he hadn’t heard him only a few moments ago. “You’re pointing a crossbow at me.” 

Taking a step away from the wardrobe, Liam put his other hand on the trigger as well, willing himself not to shake. “Yeah. I am.” 

“What’s happened to you? You look dreadful.” Calroy took a step forward, but Liam stayed steadfast, aiming directly between Calroy’s eyes. “Where are the princesses?” 

Forcing himself to not let his eyes flicker towards the wardrobe, Liam bit the inside of the cheek. When he spoke, his voice was clipped. “We went to Dulcington.” 

“And you made it back despite everything that’s happening?” For a moment, there was a glimpse of respect. “But… what happened to the princesses?”

“We got ambushed,” Liam said, inhaling sharply before continuing. “They’re- dead.” 

“Oh no,” Calroy said. There was a loud, muffled noise from somewhere else within the castle, and for a moment, silence stretched between them. “Why are you pointing your crossbow at me, Liam?” 

“Because there’s a traitor in the castle. I heard it.” Some of the panic bubbling beneath Liam’s skin slipped into his voice, and he hated himself for it, knowing Calroy could sense it as soon as it came out. 

“And you think that traitor is me?” 

“You were calling out for Queen Caramelinda. Are you going to kill her?” Liam had always liked Caramelinda. They didn’t speak often, but she’d always been pleasant to him. Had given him advice. She didn’t deserve to die. None of them deserved to die. 

“Ah, you heard that, did you?” Calroy sighed. “I suppose I got a bit carried away. Still, Amethar, Jet, Ruby… might as well make it an even four, you know?” 

“You… you killed King Amethar?” He shouldn’t have asked that. He knew Ruby was probably listening, hanging on to every word. Surely she’d stay hidden. For Jet’s sake, if not her own. But-

“Killed him, stabbed him in the back and threw him over the parapets, there’s little difference.” Calroy chuckled to himself, and Liam felt the blood rush from his face. Oh no. Oh no. “Now, Caramelinda’s made herself a bit hard to find, but I’m sure she’d come to your aid, don’t you think?” 

Liam fired. 

At the same moment Calroy ran forward, drawing a sword and swinging wildly. 

Liam jumped backward with a yell, scrambling away from the lightning-fast blade to the other side of the room, frantically reloading and firing again. 

“THEO!” It was the first name he thought of, vaulting over the bed in the room to try to make it to the door, all thoughts of protecting the princesses momentarily forgotten in the realisation that Calroy was going to try and _kill_ him. “THEO! CUMULOUS! HELP!” 

“I’m afraid they’re all busy at the moment, Liam!” Calroy laughed, cutting a long slice up Liam’s arm as he frantically backed away. 

He managed to land a few crossbow bolts into Calroy’s frosting, reloading and firing as quickly as he could. The door was still open, he could escape into the corridors, fairly sure that he was faster than Calroy, but he couldn’t do that unless he was certain Calroy would follow. 

So he stumbled into the wall, letting Calroy get as close as he dared before making a break for it, continuing to call out for help. He hated the idea of leaving the princesses by themselves, but having a battle with _Calroy_ while they were hidden in the room was even worse. Not to mention that if they stayed in an enclosed space, Liam was almost certain that he’d lose the battle. He may be a war guy now, but Calroy had been a war guy long before he’d even been born. 

Thankfully, Calroy followed him out of the room, and the battle turned into a sprint, Liam constantly looking over his shoulder to make sure Calroy was still behind him, wasn’t turning around to check the room they’d left behind. 

“THEO!” At least Liam didn’t have to try to fake the fear in his voice, half-turning to shoot crossbow bolts down the corridor, throwing in some magic that would slow Calroy down for only a few seconds before he kept pressing forward. “CALROY’S TRYING TO KILL ME!” 

Liam found himself heading downwards, bolting downstairs. He found himself at the top of the grandest staircase in the entire castle, the one the royal family would descend from at a royal ball. When Liam descended, it was by stumbling and tripping and skipping as many steps as he could, screaming for anyone friendly that could hear him. 

It wasn’t until he was halfway down the stairs that he realised there were soldiers at the bottom. Soldiers with crossbows of their own. Trained on him. 

He froze, spinning around to see Calroy strolling leisurely down the staircase, swinging his sword by his side. 

“Now, do you think you can be a good hostage for me? Keeping you alive is really more advantageous right now for possible negotiations with your father, but I _won’t_ hesitate to kill you if you’re more trouble than you’re worth.”

“If you think my dad would give up anything for _me,_ you’re wrong,” Liam said, holding his crossbow up, but swinging it between Calroy and the soldiers at the bottom, painfully aware there were few places for him to retreat to. 

“Oh, are you trying to give me more reason to kill you?” 

“I-” Liam stammered, his eyes wide. He had to live. He had to get help for Jet and Ruby. “No- I-” 

“You’re not the brightest person I’ve ever met, Liam, but I had hoped you weren’t stupid.” Calroy sighed, ignoring Liam’s frown. “You can come with me willingly and cry and scream when I find Caramelinda, or I can throw your corpse at her as a distraction. Precious few people are on my list of those who don’t _need_ to die, and you’re one of them.” 

“I’m not going to let you use me to kill the Queen.” Liam snapped. “ _I’m_ not a traitor.” 

He backed up, hitting the banister of the grand staircase as Calroy stepped ever closer, calmly, slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. But Liam saw how the grip on his sword was tight, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. 

“Alright then, Liam. The world's full of choices. Amethar made his, I’ve made mine, and you’ve made yours.” Calroy shrugged as best as a cake man could, holding his sword up in a ready position, only thirty feet or so away from him. 

Liam raised his crossbow up, and Calroy hesitated for barely a second, preparing to duck out of the way of the incoming bolt.

But instead of firing, Liam pivoted on his feet, clambering over the banister and leaping from the staircase to the ground below. 

“STOP HIM!” Liam heard Calroy’s voice screaming as the air rushed past his ears, hitting the floor and dropping into an unpractised roll, landing on his hip and knee with an unfortunate thud, pain momentarily shooting through his body as he jumped to his feet and ran again, crossbow bolts beginning to shoot towards him. One lodged into his side and he stumbled, barely stopping himself from tripping before he managed to right himself. 

This time Liam didn’t try to shoot back, he just bolted, one hand at his side to stop the bolt lodged in him from shifting. Pain pulsed through with every step but he gritted his teeth together and kept going. Theo, Cumulous, Caramelinda. Any of them could help. Three people he could trust in an entire castle. 

Amethar. Surely he couldn’t be dead. He was the Unfallen. He couldn’t- 

He made one turn, then another, then another, footsteps pounding behind him. 

He rounded one more corner and nearly ran into a dead man.

Covered in injuries, his heavy cloak gone, his clothes torn, blood dripping down his back, King Amethar stood before Liam, currently in the process of pulling his blade out of a soldier. Somehow, Liam had found himself close to the front of the castle. The front gate was broken, Liam could see fighting occurring outside in scattered clumps. The traitors had had the element of surprise, but there were still soldiers loyal to the Crown within the Castle. Perhaps it wasn’t so hopeless.

“-Amethar!” Liam’s mouth dropped open, and for a moment all he could do was stare. Because King Amethar stood, beaten, bruised, but alive. 

“Liam!” Another voice came from behind Amethar, and Liam tilted his head to the side to see Theo, a look of relief on his face. “Thank goodness!” 

All at once, Liam remembered that he was being chased. “Calroy is after me!” 

Amethar’s head snapped towards him, his eyes ablaze with rage and betrayal. Liam’s voice caught in his throat, but he wasn’t afraid. More in awe. “Calroy?”

“Yes!” Liam exclaimed, and Amethar moved to brush past him when Liam grabbed his arm. “Wait- wait, Jet and Ruby, they’re hurt-”

“Hurt?” Liam looked behind him, Amethar now placed between him and his pursuers, but that didn’t make Calroy’s voice any less terrifying. “Liam… you told me they were dead.” 

Liam promptly shut up, his mouth dry. 

“But then… I suppose you’re not the only one who has been _mistaken_ about deaths today.” Calroy spoke through gritted teeth, staring directly at Amethar with pure hatred. There were half a dozen crossbow archers between them, but he almost looked scared. “You truly are cursed.” 

Liam felt a presence, glanced up to see Theo behind him, shield positioned to block any crossbow bolts that might have headed his way. 

“The princesses... “ Theo whispered. “They’re alive?” 

Silently, Liam nodded as minutely as he could. 

“They’re in the castle?” He nodded again. 

“Now, two hurt princesses, alone in a castle. Knowing them, it must be bad to keep them from joining the fray themselves. I wonder…” Calroy let his gaze drift from Amethar, resting on Liam. “I wonder where you might have left them.” 

“NO!” 

Calroy turned to run in the same instance that Amethar leaped forward with a bloodthirsty cry, the crossbow archers nothing but cannon fodder. They knew it too, half of them dropping their weapons and fleeing once they saw how quickly their companions were being killed. By the time Theo jumped into the fight only one or two were even left standing, and by the time Calroy had left their view, they were already in pursuit. 

“Where are they?” Theo asked as they ran, all of them painfully aware that between their various injuries and Theo’s armour, they were going to be slower than Calroy. 

“In-in a room, on the third floor-” Liam hesitated, struggling to remember the details. “It was a bedroom- it was green- I- he wanted to find Caramelinda, he was trying to kill her-” 

“None of the Rocks family is going to die today, Liam,” Theo said solemnly. 

“I’M GOING TO SQUISH THAT CAKE PIECE OF SHIT WHERE HE STANDS!” Amethar roared, bounding ahead of them.

“That as well,” Theo said. 

Liam tried to lead them as best he could, though Amethar had heard the words ‘third floor’ and promptly bolted ahead with almost superhuman speed. Liam and Theo clambered up stairs in his wake, terrified of what they might arrive at. 

As it turned out, they arrived on the third floor to a purple fog. 

“Ruby-” Theo whispered, before calling out louder. “Ruby!” 

Within the fog, Liam could hear heavy footsteps and grunts, Amethar loudly daring Calroy to show his face, to stab him in the front rather than the back. Liam didn’t hear Ruby, but that didn’t mean anything. If her fog spell was up, she had to at least be conscious. Right? 

After getting no response to his cry, Theo’s face hardened, and he strode into the fog, shield up and weapon at the ready. For a moment, Liam considered following. Then a figure burst out of the fog. 

Yak flew out, shaking his head in the air after breaking free and squawking once. 

“Yak!” Liam exclaimed, waving his arms at the bird. “Yak, where’s Jet and Ruby?” 

Yak pecked at his hat, obviously trying to drag him into the fog, and Liam was never going to refuse that. Hugging the wall, he let Yak guide him around the edges of the room, heard the sounds of weapons clashing, could only hope that Amethar and Theo were winning. 

Finally, he found himself back at the wardrobe. Feeling around with his hands, it felt like one of the doors had been fully ripped off its hinges, and Yak let go of him, darting inside. 

“Ruby? Jet?” He asked, hearing a light gasp. After a moment, a hand reached through the fog and grabbed Liam’s wrist, guiding his hand to what he recognised as Jet’s shoulder. 

“Liam? You’re okay?” Ruby sounded like she’d been crying again. “Get Jet out of here- I can’t hold this spell much longer.”

There was no time for argument or discussion, and close enough to sort of see her through the mist, Liam saw Ruby holding Sourscratch up, an arrow ready to fire, crouched protectively over her sister. 

Even as Liam picked Jet up once again, he could see the fog beginning to thin around him, could begin to see outlines of Calroy, Theo and Amethar, all swinging half-blind, some hits connecting but many not even coming close. 

Outlines soon became more defined, and by the time he was halfway back to the door, the fog was almost entirely dissipated. Amethar was the first to take advantage of the sudden visibility, grabbing Calroy with a large fist and throwing him across the room. 

Unfortunately, he landed very close to the wardrobe, where everyone suddenly realised Ruby was still standing, trying desperately to hold onto the last vestiges of the spell. 

In the space of a few seconds, Calroy had gone from a tense two on one battle to holding Ruby in front of him, one arm pinned across her chest, the other pointing a sword at Amethar and Theo. 

“I- think-” Calroy breathed heavily, as Ruby squirmed weakly in his grip. “This has gone on _long_ enough! None of you could just _die_ like you’re supposed to! Like your sisters did!” 

“Let. My. Daughter. Go.” Liam had never heard Amethar sound so dangerous, not even in the cathedral, not even on Sucrosi Road. 

Still holding on to Jet, Liam backed away in horror. 

Calroy spun wildly to face each of them in the room for a few seconds at a time. “Years. _Years_ of planning and work and effort undone because you just can’t fucking die. Well if I can’t get you, Amethar, at least I can get one of your daughters.” 

But before he even had a chance to try, there was a bolt of golden orange syrup, striking Calroy directly on his side, melting a deep hole into his spongy flesh.

He cried out in pain, and Ruby took the opportunity, jabbing one end of Sourscratch into Calroy’s hand, falling to the ground in a heap when his grip instinctively loosened. Immediately Theo was covering her and pulling her away, as Amethar launched himself at the traitorous cake. 

It soon became abundantly clear that he was not going to stop until Calroy was nothing but mush. 

Eyes wide, Liam turned towards the door, only to see a bloody, yet still regal Caramelinda in the doorway, her face a steel mask, her hand visibly radiating heat. Until her gaze dropped to Liam, or more accurately, Jet. 

“Jet-” Her hands clasped around Liam’s shoulders pulling him out of the room and into the corridor, and from there she took Jet from him, kneeling on the ground with Jet’s head in her lap. 

Liam looked up, seeing Cumulous there as well with Caramelinda, keeping an eye on the thankfully otherwise empty corridor.

After a few more moments, Theo walked out with Ruby, who threw her arms around her mother as soon as she was let go. 

“I’m sorry, Mom, I’m so sorry- we snuck into your room and found a letter and went to Dulcington and it was a trap- I’m so sorry-” Ruby sobbed. “Jet nearly _died_ -” 

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Caramelinda said, even though it definitely wasn’t. 

“The castle isn’t safe,” Theo said, on guard with Cumulous, glancing into the room every now and then. A part of Liam was curious to see exactly how badly Calroy was getting destroyed, but the sound of Amethar’s hits left him with enough for his imagination to fill in the rest. 

“Ciabatta is out there somewhere,” Liam spoke up, feeling like an intruder sitting on the ground with his knees pulled up to his chest, his heart still beating a mile a minute. How long had it been since everything had started? Ten minutes? Twenty? Thirty? “He-he’s the one who ambushed us.”

“Ciabatta is in Candia?” Caramelinda looked at him for a moment, before looking back down at Jet, one hand stroking her hair while the other was rubbing circles in Ruby’s back. “If I see him, he will regret stepping foot within our borders. But Sir Theobald, I believe you may be right. At the very least, I will not allow my children to stay here when traitors could still be in our midst.” 

Liam stayed quiet for a moment, before speaking up again. “Is Jet gonna be alright?” 

Nearly every eye was on him, the only exception being Ruby, who had buried her face into her mother’s shoulder, and Jet herself. Caramelinda looked pained and somber, but after a moment, her face softened. 

“She will be. I will make sure of it.” She said, before beginning to hand out instructions to Theo and Cumulous, the latter of whom dashed off, returning shortly after with medical supplies and news that things had mostly settled downstairs, and then running off again. 

Caramelinda began tending to Jet and Ruby’s wounds, while Theo went up to Liam. 

“Anything else besides that bolt in your side?” He asked quietly. Liam knew he probably looked like a mess. His clothes were stained with blood (mostly Jet’s) nearly from head to toe, and he’d definitely been crying for at least 40% of the entire mess. 

Silently, he pointed out the gash on his arm where Calroy had managed to slash him, and Theo got to work stitching it up and bandaging it. 

“I’m sorry, Theo,” Liam whispered. “I didn’t leave you a note when we left this castle this time.” 

“I don’t think it would have mattered if you had,” Theo said, with a sad smile.

“You might’ve been able to catch us before we got to the store.” 

“Perhaps.” Theo looked even more solemn than usual. “But you got back. Right now, that’s what’s important.” 

Liam glanced towards the twins. Jet was beginning to stir again, though her face was calm rather than pinched with pain, and Ruby was leaning against her mother, visibly fighting exhaustion. They hadn’t even gotten any sleep. They’d barely gotten home, and now they were having to run from Castle Candy too. 

Amethar eventually emerged from the bedroom, his sword and his fists covered in globs of mashed cake, which he took the time to wipe off before wrapping Ruby up in a hug, and checking to see if Jet was comfortable. 

When Cumulous came back with news that he’d managed to arrange their escape, Amethar ended up carrying Jet. Ruby walked on her own for about three steps before Amethar scooped her up too, Theo protecting the front of their party while Cumulous hovered at the back, everyone else in between. 

They snuck out of the castle, skirting around what chaos remained. Calroy was dead but many of his stooges still ran amok, and there was no telling how many people Ciabatta had managed to sneak into Candia. 

Once out of the castle they squeezed into a carriage, swapping out royal robes for heavy cloaks, heading for the Great Stone Candy Mountains.

Theo and Cumulous steered the carriage on the outside, leaving Liam and the other Rocks’ on the inside. Amethar took up one side almost on his own, Jet lying across his lap with an extra cloak under her head as a pillow. On the other side, Caramelinda sat next to a window with Ruby laying across the rest of the seat with her head in her mother’s lap, having finally succumbed to sleep, one hand reaching across the gap to reach Jet.

Liam had curled up on the floor of the carriage, and there was enough space for him, really. His back was up against the door, and if he twisted around a little he was kind of able to lie down, and he really wasn’t about to complain. 

“Mmm-” Liam glanced up as Jet shifted her head lightly, her eyelids fluttering open. “Ngh-”

“Jet?” Liam could hardly believe the relief that flooded his body just at seeing her open her eyes, even if they were dazed and unfocused. 

“Liam?” Jet mumbled, glancing around a little. “Pops?” 

“Hey, baby girl,” Amethar said quietly, stroking her hair. 

“Ugh- I feel... “ Jet frowned, clumsily bringing one of her hands up to her forehead before she stiffened. “The shop- did I die?” 

“Not quite.” Caramelinda murmured. “And you’re never allowed to get that close again.” 

“Is Ruby-” Jet blinked, searching around before her eyes fell on her sister, and she relaxed, moving her hand down to take the one that Ruby had stretched over even in her sleep. “Okay. Cool.” 

“It’s certainly not cool.” Caramelinda sighed. “You scared us, Jet.” 

“Sorry, mom.” Jet closed her eyes, and for a moment Liam thought she’d slipped back into unconsciousness, but then she opened them again. “Where are we goin?” 

“My dad’s,” Liam said with an awkward half-smile, and Jet blinked in his direction.

“Oh. How come?”

“Castle Candy’s full of traitors,” Liam said nonchalantly, glancing up at Amethar, who barely reacted beyond the furrowing of his brow. “It was… whatever. I can tell you in the morning.”

“Aw, did I miss the cool stuff?” Jet groaned lightly, shifting slightly into a more comfortable position, squeezing Ruby’s hand. 

Caramelinda exhaled at that remark but apparently decided that a near-death was enough to let Jet get away with it, so Liam just shrugged. 

“Nah, nothing cool. Just lots of escaping.” 

“still pretty cool…” Jet mumbled, her voice trailing away as she drifted back into sleep. 

Liam rested his head against the door behind him, listening to the sounds of everyone else breathing in the carriage. Safe. Alive.

If only the universe we have was the one where this was true.

**Author's Note:**

> Did I write a fic like four days ago about how sad Jet dying is??? M a y b e 
> 
> Did I spend a whole day writing 7k worth of fix it now??? m a y b e
> 
> Look, im just saying, if ally had rolled SLIGHTLY worse on their initiative and the assassins had gone first Liam might not have tried to attack and gotten the Rope Trick up, which would've given Ruby a chance to get into it rather than having to run, and the Sweetest Heart locket would've cancelled out the disadvantage on Jet's saving throws and MAYBE she woulda stabilised.


End file.
